• Tabula_stercore@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    Your examples are with small enough numbers that indeed it can also be written out. Now if you please, write out 7.45•10^16

    • XIIIesq@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      It’s not about the size of the number, it’s about presenting information in a way that the average reader can understand. The best way to do that is to present it in the way that they’re accustomed to and I don’t think I’ve ever seen scientific notation used to refer to a sum of money.

      It’s great that you and I understand scientific notation, but it’s worthlesss when you’re trying to get the average person to understand what you’re writing if they don’t know it themselves.

      To make myself clear, I’m not saying that scientific notation isn’t useful, I’m just saying that most people don’t understand it.

      For extra credit, 74,500,000,000,000,000 aka seventy four quintillion, five hundred quadrillion.